It’s all too easy to spend the month of January hunkered down on the sofa, with any exercise confined to hitting your TV remote! But kids need their recommended 60 minutes of physical activity each day, no matter what the weather. We have some ideas for keeping the momentum going, indoors and out.
Published
INDOORS
Premier Education* have come up with some indoor activity ideas that are simple to set up and don’t require much planning or expense!
Indoor snowball fight
This one is easy and their hands won’t freeze when making the snowballs. Simply crumple up pieces of scrap paper, old newspapers or magazines and get throwing! Toss them on the fire or recycle them after use.
Party on
Make good use of the Christmas decorations while they are still up and have a dance party with your family. Turn up the music and get moving to your favourite festive tunes.
Keep a video diary
This is especially good for days when children are with grandparents or at a friend’s house. Ask children, if necessary with help from an adult, to make a video diary of their day. They’ll be eager to show you all the things they’ve done and you can watch the video together at the end of the day.
Help with the chores
Whether it’s washing the car, helping to dust the house or hoovering, children will be doing something active which promotes a sense of achievement …especially if there’s a little reward at the end of it!
Be each other’s inspiration
Task each family member with the responsibility of taking it in turns
to create the next workout. Include a warm-up and cool down with 10
minutes of fun physical activity in between.
Free activity provision
Thanks to the Holiday Activity and Food programme
(HAF) some children can enrol on free activity camps which run over the
school holidays. It’s open to any child with a free school meals code
and comes with healthy food provided. Each council offers different
provision, but you may find you’re entitled to a range of activities
such as performing arts, football and dance.
*Premier Education is a leading provider of sport and physical activity to primary schools.Visitpremier-education.com
OUTDOORS
Cheryl Brown at Le Boat shares ways to encourage kids to embrace the great outdoors, despite the chill weather.
Explore at night
Winter nights are a great time to spot wildlife as it gets darker
earlier, meaning you don’t have to be up in the dead of night to see and
hear animals. Enjoying a night outside with little ones is an awfully
big adventure for them! Wrap up, put some hot chocolate in a thermos and
listen out for nocturnal animals. Here are just some of the ones you
may discover in Europe:
Hedgehogs
Bats
Owls
Foxes
Badgers
To make the experience even more special, invest in a pair of night vision goggles to give your children the best view.
Discover together
Rather than simply teaching your child everything you
know about the natural world, why not discover more together? Visit
museums with environmental exhibitions or join family-friendly guided
nature walks with an expert.
Learn on the move
Try taking out your cycles and, rather than racing to the ‘end’, stop by the wayside whenever you spot something interesting.
Take a trip
Organise a day trip that has some interesting landmarks in the area,
like a famous lake or waterfall or a popular walking trail. Find out a
few exciting facts about the landmark to share with your children on
your visit.
Go foraging
Foraging is very productive at this time of year: search for
blackberries, chestnuts, mushrooms and much more. Beware when foraging
for mushrooms to touch only the edible varieties. Pack a book to help
you identify which ones can be touched and eaten safely.
Use technology!
Technology can help children to engage with the natural world if used
wisely! Take advantage of devices by encouraging children to download
apps and learn more about wildlife. You can, for instance, download apps
that help you identify birds by their song, or ones that help kids
learn about the different seasons.
Teach the Countryside Code
This offers valuable guidance, helping you teach your child how to
behave when spending time in nature. Share these guidelines and explain
how they benefit the natural world: for example, by sticking to the
paths you can avoid disturbing animals in their natural habitat. You can
even find ways to leave nature in a better way than you found it, by
taking a bag to collect discarded litter with you.
For more information on boating holidays, visit www.leboat.co.uk
TIPS FOR COLD WEATHER WALKS
Take energy boosting snacks and a favourite hot drink in a small thermos.
Invest in good quality waterproofs and footwear. Make sure they are roomy to allow for extra layers underneath, and for growth.
Plan a manageable circular walk – remember that kids tend to get tired quicker in cold weather.
Take along a checklist of things to see to keep everyone occupied along the way.
Encourage your child to wear mittens rather than gloves as they’re so much easier to get on and off.
Make sure hand and footwear is waterproof – there’s nothing worse than damp, wet hands and feet.
